Howard Hanson: Organ Concerto (2006)

Recording hasn't been unkind to the legacy of Howard Hanson, and his own recordings as conductor of other composers' music continues to stay in print and to thrive. However, when it comes to Hanson's own work, recording has not been exceptionally generous as it has to some of his contemporaries (for example, Copland or George Gershwin); the vast majority of recordings devoted to Hanson concentrate on one work, his Symphony No. 2, "Romantic," Op. 30. With Naxos American Classics' Howard Hanson: Organ Concerto we finally ... Read More

Recording hasn't been unkind to the legacy of Howard Hanson, and his own recordings as conductor of other composers' music continues to stay in print and to thrive. However, when it comes to Hanson's own work, recording has not been exceptionally generous as it has to some of his contemporaries (for example, Copland or George Gershwin); the vast majority of recordings devoted to Hanson concentrate on one work, his Symphony No. 2, "Romantic," Op. 30. With Naxos American Classics' Howard Hanson: Organ Concerto we finally encounter an all-Hanson collection that affords some depth to his orchestral oeuvre, and these pieces are all exceptionally fantastic offerings, to boot.This selection features Hanson's early Concerto for Organ, Harp and Strings, Op. 22/3 (1926), his Serenade for Flute, Harp and Strings Op. 35 (1945), the Fantasy Variations on a Theme of Youth for Piano and Strings (1951), and his Pastorale for Oboe, Harp and Strings (1948-1949) and the obscure Summer Seascape No. 2 for Viola and Strings... Read Less